The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-21
A California Bean Crop.

Santa Barbara Letter.
The leading crop in all this region is beans,
and Lima beans at that. The New England
farmer feels fortunate if he can get enough of
these delicious beans for meal two, and
many housewife watches with anxious eyes
the vines as they climb the poles, fearing that
the early frost will get the beans before they
are ripe enough for the table. But here every
thing is so different It is the middle of
January, and the mellow land lies warm in its
exposure to the sub tropical sun, and the bath
sport in the waves that roll laZily upon the
long. sand -heaped shore. They know no winter
in Carpenteria or the regions round about The
farmer has no incentive TO push piece of work
to immediate completion for fear of frost
rain. He knows nothing of the hurry of an
eastern spring time, and to him there never
comes any anxiety at harvest unless ii be that
the yield is insufficient.
The beans are planted In April or May, and
from that time until the growing season is over,
no rain clouds darken the sky or refresh the
land. This is truly land of sunshine. the
rains fall between and the 1st CT April
There may be ten inches or twice that on
average not far from fifteen, and after this
nual soaking the soil bears its crop without any
additional rainfall It is easy to see that such
conditions are exceedingly favorable for beans,
which apt to rust and spoil during rainy
times. The seeds are planted and the vines
permitted to upon the soil and over each
other No poles or other supports provided.
There is no need of keeping the vines above the
SOIL because the surface of the field is a. dry
tOOSe eHFtu anu al dll-uayS SUI, seven Gays III
the week can make it These beans are grown
year after year upon the After
twelve seasons it is said that the soil needs
change and corn or barley is put in as sort of
recreation to the bean-tired acres.
As harvest time comes, a circular place IN the
| field is made perfectly smooth and the surface
hardened until il is like layer of stone. the
| bed of well-constructed clay aud gravel road
| Here the beans in their pods and on their vines
| are brought and trodden out under the feet of
| tramping horses. The vines frequently
| turned over with fork, and after the beans are
all removed from the pods, the straw is thrown
| out, the beans are taken up. and lot of
vines thrown down. Thus the process continues
/ until the threshing is finished. The beans after
being cleaned, placed in large, square sacks,
| and ready for shipment. We great piles
of these filled sacks at the wharf store house, from
| which they shipped by steamer to San Fran
| cisco and other points along the coast One firm
| in Chicago am informed, purchases large guam
| titles of these beans and after soaking them
| thoroughly, they placed in cans and sold as
| fresh, green Lima beans. How much truth
| may be in this statement remains for those most
| interested to determine This manufacture of
yond the capacity of many firm in Chicago OF
elsewl ire
| The yield of beans per varies greatly. &C.
| cording to the land and season, but from ton
| to a ton and a half may be taken as average.
| The bean crop does not pay SO well but what
| another will probably pay better. On many OF
| the ranches the bean fields have been planted
| out with walnut trees Some of these orchards
| or groves" as they called, have come into
| bearing. and are rewarding the owners literally
| for the investment